Texans want more yards after receivers' catches

Texans want bigger gains after receivers' catches

By John McClain |
September 3, 2008

Kevin Walter was the Texans’ best receiver in the preseason when it came to getting yards after the catch. “I hope it carries over into regular season,” Walter said. “That’s the No. 1 thing I want to improve from last year.”

One of the Texans’ priorities on offense this season is to improve their yards after the catch, or YAC, as it’s known around the NFL.

A lot of things figure into yards after the catch, but the bottom line is that they can turn a short gain into a big one.

“Getting yards after the catch is huge,” quarterback Matt Schaub said before practice Wednesday. “If you complete a pass, whether it’s a 5-yard hitch or a screen and you get 20 yards out of it, it can be deflating for a defense.”

“Statistics show that if you make what’s called an explosive play’ in a drive (20 or more yards), your odds of scoring go way up,” Schaub said. “If you can do that after an easy completion, it just gets everybody going.

“I think the key is understanding defenses and where the defenders are coming from.”

Johnson (6-3, 223), Walter (6-3, 215) and Daniels (6-3, 243) are big and strong enough to break tackles after making a catch. But there’s much more to it than being big and strong.

“After you catch the ball, the key is finding a way to get away from the first guy,” Johnson said. “As soon as you catch it, you have to turn and try to get straight up the field. Those first three or four steps are so important. You just try to explode.”

Missed time didn’t help

Johnson missed seven games last season because of a knee injury. He still had 60 receptions for 851 yards (14.2 average) and eight touchdowns. Projecting his 265 YAC over a full season, he would have totaled about 470 .

“We work on it all the time because it’s so important,” Johnson said. “You can make a big play, and you can keep the chains moving.

“If you can turn a 10- or 12-yard catch into a 20-yard catch, that can mean so much to the offense.”

Walter was the Texans’ best receiver in the preseason when it came to getting yards after the catch.

“I hope it carries over into regular season,” Walter said. “That’s the No. 1 thing I want to improve from last year.”

If a receiver drops too many passes, he never gets out of the gate. That’s why concentration is so important.

“You have to make sure to catch the ball, of course,” Walter said. “Then, you have to make sure to protect the ball.

“Getting upfield and making people miss is a mindset. I think we’ll do a better job of it.”

Last season, New England’s Wes Welker, who’s 5-8 and quick as a cat, led all NFL receivers with 640 yards after the catch. He finished with 112 catches for 1,175 yards and a 10.5-yard average.

“When you see the ball coming toward you, you glance around to see where everyone is, and then you focus on catching the ball before you make your move,” Walter said. “You have to be aware of where you are and what’s around you. You can’t hesitate. You have to make your move and go.

“If the quarterback throws to your right shoulder, you want to go right because he’s throwing it away from the defender’s side.”

Ready for encore

In his first season as a starter, Walter had 65 catches for 800 yards (12.3 average) and five touchdowns.

“I think what you’re able to do after the catch is based on the other team and where you get the ball,” he said. “If you’re playing against a zone, you have to feel your way and make the best of it. If you’re going against man coverage, if you can beat one guy, you have a chance to make a big play.”

Like Johnson and Walter, the coaches expect Daniels to improve his yards after the catch. In his second season, Daniels increased his receptions from 34 to 63 and his yards from 350 to 768.

“As a unit,” Walter said, “our No. 1 goal is to improve our yards after the catch. If we can do that, it’ll mean so much to this offense.”